Ancient Artifacts Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, authorities report.
The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that a doorway had been broken from the inside.
The six stolen pieces were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, an authority informed the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "details surrounding the disappearance of a collection of items", and that steps had been taken to enhance protection and monitoring systems.
The director of national security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as saying that security forces were probing the theft, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and unique items".
He added that museum protectors at the facility and other persons were being questioned.
The cultural institution, which was established in 1919, houses the significant archaeological collection in Syria.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from historical site, where proof of the oldest known writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from Palmyra, one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world; and a ancient religious building that was built at Dura Europos.
The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the holdings was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were harmed or partly ruined during the civil war.
The militant faction blew up several religious structures and other structures at Palmyra, asserting that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the destruction as a atrocity.
Countless historical objects were also destroyed or stolen from historical locations and cultural institutions.
